...a photoBook is an autonomous art form, comparable with a piece of sculpture, a play or a film. The photographs lose their own photographic character as things 'in themselves' and become parts, translated into printing ink, of a dramatic event called a book...
- Dutch photography critic Ralph Prins

dinsdag 21 juni 2011

Bruno Mouron photographer and collector dived in his collection of over a thousand books for La Lettre. Classic titles like The Americans by Robert Frank (in all its editions), Paris La Nuit by Brassai, Photographies 1920-1934 by Man Rayor The Map by Kawada could have been obvious choices. Bruno preferred to present some more unusual books, not especially expensive and mostly for most of them not yet listed in titles such are Martin Parr’s and the Book of 101 Books. See also Alessandro Bertolotti Books of Nudes...

The work of Jean Clemmer for example is to often limited to his photographs realized with Salvador Dali, the bookNues (CANNED CANDIES) presenting his nudes with the metallic accessories of Paco Rabanne is much less known.

Bruno Mouron and Pascal Rostain currently prepare a book with Robert Laffont publishing on the Black&White archives of their agency Sphinx which will cover the time period of the Sixties to the Eighties. One of their conceptual photograph from the series STAR TRASH was exhibited last week at Scope Basel.

Gilles Decamps

NUES (CANNED CANDIES) – Jean CLEMMER (1969)

In the Sixties, nude erotic photography was not part of the artistic landscape which preferred the more academic work of Man Ray or Drtikol.

Jean Clemmer photographs the models only wearing the accessories by Paco Rabanne, the women hidden behind the metallic pieces appears even more sexy.

Pierre BELFOND publisher with a conversation between Paco RABANNE andPatrick RAMBAUD (Prix GONCOURT 1997), much more than an erotic title to have in a collection.